


We Could Be Heroes

by justdk



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 01:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17194097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justdk/pseuds/justdk
Summary: Local bad boy/villain Andrew Minyard steps in to save his crush, the mysterious Stealth Shadow (Nathaniel Wesninski), and, after properly meeting him, decides to look after him(Title from the song "Heroes" by David Bowie)





	We Could Be Heroes

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: villain saves an unconscious hero and gives them a talking to about how they need to stop picking fights with opponents they’re not ready for. Andrew is the villain, Nathaniel is the hero
> 
> TW: murder, references to past abuse (Nathaniel), pain and suffering (Nathaniel)
> 
> As I update I'll add tags. Be warned: the rating of this fic may change! Each chapter will have triggers listed in the beginning notes but if I miss anything please let me know.

“Paging Earth’s Tiniest Avenger, do you copy?”

Andrew gritted his teeth together and swore into the mic. “Not my call sign, _Dickolas_.”

“Oh ho! Look at who’s being super mature on this fine evening.”

“Get to the fucking point.” Andrew scratched at his chin. He’d gotten lazy with shaving and now his stubble was chafing under his mask.

“Your crush is getting his ass handed to him behind the Waffle House. Must be about eight dudes going to town on him. _Oh! That had to hurt!_ ”

Andrew didn’t bother to correct Nicky on calling Stealth Shadow – a stupid hero name if there ever was one – his crush. Nicky had caught him stalking the newbie hero via the city’s surveillance network one too many times. So the guy had a nice ass, didn’t mean anything. Stealth Shadow was a hero after all.

“Which Waffle House?” Andrew started up his bike and pulled on his helmet.

“The one off Vineland. I gotta say, swooping in to save one of the good guys? Not very villainous, A.”

Andrew didn’t bother to reply. He tore out of the alley he’d been lurking in and cut across traffic, leaving behind a cacophony of screeching brakes and blaring horns.

It only took five minutes to get from his location to the Waffle House but by the time he arrived Stealth Shadow was out cold, his body splayed on the dirty asphalt while the group of men took pictures of him and laughed. One of them suggested taking off his mask; another suggested something so horrible that Andrew’s vision went red as his powers took over.

He should have told Nicky to send backup, if only to keep him from killing every last one of the sick sons of bitches. Andrew cracked his knuckles, felt the clean bite of knives rising from his hands. He left his helmet on and stalked towards the distracted huddle.

“He’s so small,” one of the men was saying, “he can’t be out of his teens, right? You think we could sell him? Some people pay big for heroes, especially the kids.”

 _That one_ Andrew thought. _That one dies first._

He didn’t bother to announce his presence or give the men time to run or react. Knives flew from his hands, striking their targets with lethal accuracy. Two men dropped, knives buried deep in their eyes.

Chaos descended, the survivors whirling around to face him. One managed to draw a gun, one tried to go in for a tackle. Andrew went low, shooting out knife after knife until all the men were on the ground, eyes gouged, throats sliced, hearts stabbed clean through. They formed a bloody, lopsided circle around the small body of Stealth Shadow.

Andrew knelt down next to the hero and cautiously turned him over. Up close he couldn’t believe how tiny the guy was. Yes, he was a couple inches taller than Andrew, but he was so fucking skinny, not like the majority of the muscle-bound heroes that patrolled the city.

Andrew peeled the mask up, exposing the kid’s neck and the lower half of his face. He pressed two fingers to the hero’s pulse point and checked that he was breathing. Bruises were already forming on his pale skin and blood trickled from his nose and mouth. Andrew wiped the blood away and pulled the mask back down. He crouched there, staring at the kid in the all black body suit, trying to figure out what to do. He could leave Stealth Shadow here, but would he be safe? What would the cops do when they showed up? Would they think that Stealth Shadow was working with villains like him?

“A! A, you answer me right now, you absolute disaster gay! What the fuck are you doing?!”

That was Aaron, not Nicky. Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose and swallowed an irritated growl.

“I’m deciding what to do with the hero, AA.”

“Ugh quit calling me that! And leave him, duh. Unless you want to go ahead and take him out.”

Andrew scoffed. “It’s a little soon for a date night.” He poked Stealth Shadow’s arm but he didn’t wake up.

“I meant _kill him_ not take him on a date, for fuck’s sake!” Aaron’s tone was exasperated, his voice nearly cracking from stress.

“That’s horrible idea. I’ll see you back at the base. Get the triage set up, okay?”

“What? No! An- A, don’t do it. Don’t you fucking dare, you shit for—”

Andrew disconnected the call and turned the earpiece off. He’d catch hell from Kevin for going off the comms but he couldn’t deal with Aaron or Nicky pestering him.

He gathered Stealth Shadow into his arms, marveling at how light he was. The hero had only come onto the scene a few months ago when he started doing vigilante work. The public hadn’t caught on to him yet but that, Andrew supposed, was intentional. Stealth Shadow hadn’t exhibited any superpowers but he was boss at sneaking around and intervening whenever bad shit was going down. Like tonight, when he had stopped a mugging but ended up becoming the victim. That was another Stealth Shadow MO, unfortunately.

“You really gotta stop this,” Andrew muttered as he carried the kid to his bike. “Little guy like you? You need to learn to pick your battles, not try to take on eight fuckers at once. Who do you think you are, the Hulk?” Stealth Shadow, of course, remained silent during Andrew’s rant. “You need a sidekick. Hell, _you_ should be a sidekick, not a vigilante. You need someone looking out for you, Shadow Boy.”

Andrew grabbed some extension cords from his pack and fastened the kid to his back. It wasn’t ideal but they weren’t going far. He wrapped Stealth Shadow’s arms around his waist, posing him in a way that looked natural and not like he was hauling a body around the city. Stealth Shadow’s head lolled against his shoulder, the weight of his body pressed against Andrew’s back. He smelled like blood and grime, alcohol and cigarettes.

“This is just fucking fantastic,” Andrew grumbled to himself.

—–

Nicky was waiting for them in the med room. He looked less than pleased.

“You brought a hero to our secret lair, Andrew? That’s stupid, even for you.”

Andrew ignored him and laid Stealth Shadow on the examination table. He rolled his aching shoulders and stretched his arms over his head, hearing his joints pop. A sudden rush of blood made him feel dizzy and he had to clutch the side of the table to keep from falling over.

“Shit.” He blinked down at his hands, trying to focus around the black dots crowding the corners of his vision.

“Easy there.” Nicky stood close by, ready to catch him in case he passed out. “I saw your knife work on the feeds. You went over your limit again, A.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Andrew mumbled.

“You know,” Aaron interrupted, “this is why you’re part of a _team_. So we can neutralize our enemies, sometimes even leaving them alive for the police to collect.”

Andrew glanced over at his twin. Aaron stood in the doorway; arms crossed over his chest, his signature scowl crinkling up his face.

“Didn’t have time to assemble the team,” Andrew replied. He pushed off the table, feeling wobbly but trying not to show it. “Nicky, get me a transfusion set up. Aaron, come do your thing. The kid’s hurt pretty bad.”

Aaron looked like he wanted to refuse but of course he wouldn’t. Even though he had followed Andrew into a life of crime he still upheld his oath to do no harm, at least when it came to treating people.

Nicky started for the fridge to get the blood when his earpiece pinged. “Oh, hold up. Kevin needs me. I’ll be right back, okay?”

Andrew waved him off and Nicky sped out of the room, heading back to the control center.

Andrew unzipped his suit and peeled it off. The red leather hid the worst of the bloodstains, which was why he had chosen the color in the first place. That and it was a nice nod to his ability and villain name – BloodHaze. He washed his hands in the sink before fumbling in the closet for a change of clothes, slipping on a pair of grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt. He pulled on the black armbands last.

“Did he get a look at you?” Aaron asked quietly. He had taken off Stealth Shadow’s suit and mask and was checking his wounds.

“No.” Andrew moved closer, staring at the hero’s face. He was remarkably pretty, even all bruised up and scarred. His auburn hair was sweaty and matted, sticking up in all directions. Andrew frowned. Stealth Shadow really was a kid. A super messed up kid.

“He’s got some cracked ribs,” Aaron said, “and I’m worried since he’s still unconscious. He probably has a concussion. Other than that he just has bruises and abrasions that should heal up fine.”

“What about internal bleeding?” Andrew asked. “They kicked the shit out of him.” He gestured to the boot prints and nasty bruises on Stealth Shadow’s abdomen and back.

“I’ll run tests,” Aaron sighed. Andrew knew what he was thinking; it was money they didn’t have to spare. Not when the bulk of their take went to paying off Kevin’s debt to the Moriyama Circle.

They stared at the hero in silence; neither one of them bothered to mention the scars that marked Stealth Shadow from his face to his ankles. He looked like a walking Wound Man: pierced through, slashed, gouged, burned, shot. Andrew wondered if the scars came from his work or from something else. It was hard for him, even someone like him, to imagine how the kid had accumulated so much physical trauma and survived it.

“Okay! Andrew, sorry for the delay, let’s get your transfusion—oh dear Christ!” Nicky skidded to a stop behind Andrew, looking over his shoulder at the unconscious hero. “Oh my God.”

Andrew moved Nicky away from the table. “Don’t worry about it,” he told Nicky, “Aaron says he’ll be okay.”

“His scars—” Nicky craned his neck to get a better look, his eyes wide.

“Transfusion. Now,” Andrew snapped. “I wanna be back at my peak by the time this guy wakes up. I don’t think he has powers but we can’t be too careful.”

“Says the man who brought a stray to our door,” Aaron muttered. He washed up and got the blood from the fridge and wheeled over the equipment and started setting it up.

“ _Right_.” Andrew looked at Stealth Shadow’s prone form. “Like either one of you would have left him there.”

“ _I_ wouldn’t,” Nicky agreed. “I just can’t believe that you saved him and brought him home.” He placed his hand on Andrew’s shoulder, his eyes glowing. “I’m so proud of you.”

Andrew pushed his hand off and pulled out his phone to check the news app. There was already a story running about the killings. Thankfully Nicky’s boyfriend, Erik, had hacked the surveillance footage, blurring out Andrew’s form. The knives, though, that would be a dead giveaway. At least the police still had no idea what he looked like, in disguise or out of it.

“ _Eight men are dead_ _in what police are calling a villain slaying. Police were called to the scene after an attempted robbery and assault were reported. The witness said that a hero arrived on the scene and intervened, allowing them to escape…_ ”

Nicky sucked in a breath and shot anxious looks at Andrew and Aaron. “Do you think the Moriyamas will find out that you did it?”

Andrew laughed. “I love that our priorities are the Moriyama Circle then the police.”

“They basically own the police,” Aaron commented. “And they practically own us.”

“Just one of us,” Andrew corrected. “Damn, I need a cigarette.”

“Seriously, Andrew.” Nicky frowned at him.

“ _Seriously, Nicky_. Of course they’ll know. But fuck ‘em. I’m not their bitch.”

Nicky fretted and Aaron sulked. It was way too much drama, especially with the out of commission hero in their midst. Thankfully Kevin needed assistance again so Andrew was spared the hovering presence of his family.

With Nicky and Aaron out of the room, Andrew pulled his chair closer to the table, leaning his chin against his hand and studying the hero. Even though he’d been low key stalking Stealth Shadow for months he knew almost nothing about him. He didn’t know why he was so intrigued; after all there were plenty of other heroes and villains running amok in the city. Okay, that was a lie. He was curious because, no matter what happened, Stealth Shadow never gave up. He got beaten up a lot, but he still kept coming back. It was exhausting and fascinating, watching the little hero slink around the city, saving people and kicking ass, getting his ass kicked. Two months of surveillance and they still didn’t know the location of his base or his identity. He was a real mystery man.

Andrew blinked sleepily. Transfusions always made him want to nap and he was feeling especially drained after his fight. Andrew didn’t mean to fall asleep but he did, his head nestled on his arm, right next the mystifying Stealth Shadow.

—–

Nathaniel woke up with a splitting headache. Every single part of his body was screaming with pain and it was difficult to breathe. But the worst part was the realization that he had blacked out. His heart surged with panic and his fingers scrambled at the ground— _no_ it wasn’t asphalt beneath his fingers it was metal. He had been  _moved_.

The fear hit hard. Bile rose up the back of his throat and he nearly choked swallowing it down. His mind overloaded with _bad_ : bad memories, bad outcomes, bad circumstances. He couldn’t conceive of a situation where – being left powerless and unconscious – things didn’t end in disaster.

Seconds passed while Nathaniel spiraled. His breathing was ragged in his ears and his chest ached with each panicked inhale and exhale. He used the sound as a focus, drawing him out of his thoughts. _Easy, easy_ said the comforting voice in his mind. _Take a breath and hold it, Nat_. _Release_. _Imagine you’re holding a bunny. You like them, yes? Imagine petting its fur, being so careful not to scare it. Are you still scared, Nat? Take another breath._

The trick worked. His breathing evened out and his thoughts cleared. Nathaniel forced himself to calm down and approach this crisis like any other, one thing at a time.

He opened his eyes as much as he could manage – one of them was swollen shut – and immediately squinted, his eye smarting from the brightness of the fluorescent light above him. He tilted his head to the side, taking in the medical equipment and cupboards, the blank walls. He wasn’t in a hospital; it was too quiet and the room setup was wrong, not to mention it was cluttered with things that didn’t belong in a hospital room. He turned his head to the other side and nearly startled off the table when he discovered a young man sleeping next to him, his blond head resting on his forearm. Tubing ran from his extended arm to the nearly empty blood and saline bags hanging next to him.

There wasn’t anything special about the guy except that he appeared to be shorter than average. Nathaniel guessed that they were about the same height however this guy was built like _whoa_ ; he made Nathaniel feel downright puny. Something about him was naggingly familiar but Nathaniel couldn’t place it. Maybe they had run into each other? It was highly possible that the guy had abilities maybe he was a hero. Whoever he was, Nathaniel didn’t plan to stick around until he woke up.

Biting his lip, Nathaniel struggled to sit up, his sides and stomach burning with pain so intense that he nearly threw up. A small moan slipped from his lips and he admitted defeat and lowered himself back onto the table. His arms were trembling from the effort. He held his hands up. Old scars criss-crossed his skin, marks from the times his father’s people had tortured him. His knuckles were bandaged and his left hand was swollen with a boot print-shaped bruise painting his skin, but at least the bones weren’t broken. Slowly he inventoried his body, determining damage and functionality.

After an exhausting evaluation he had to admit that he was in no shape to move, despite how freaked out he was by his current situation. He didn’t know where he was, who had saved him, why they had saved him, or what they planned to do next. He didn’t know the man sleeping next to him and couldn’t begin to guess at his intentions. He didn’t know who had undressed him, tended to his injuries, and put him in a flimsy hospital gown. He didn’t know what had happened behind the Waffle House after he had jumped in to save the day.

His father was right: he was sloppy. He didn’t have powers to rely on or a team to bail him out. He was flying solo in a city that wasn’t kind to prey animals. No matter how fierce he felt or what skills he possessed, to the world he was small and weak, a soft target. He couldn’t even get off this table, for fuck’s sake.

He was still mentally beating himself up when the door opened and someone walked in. Nathaniel lay as still as possible, trying to keep his breathing even. It wasn’t that hard, he’d perfected the fake sleeping routine during his violent childhood.

“He’s still asleep,” someone whispered. “He looks almost cute like that, you know? Innocent like a kitten.”

“Shut up,” another voice growled. “You know that you basically just implied that I’m cute?”

“Uh, duh, Aaron.” There was the sound of someone being smacked and a pained hiss. “Dude… _seriously_. You need to learn to take a compliment.”

“I don’t consider ‘cute’ a compliment when it comes from you.”

The voices were right next to him. Nathaniel wanted to open his eye and see the men – they didn’t sound so bad – but he couldn’t risk it.

“Should we wake him up?” The first guy – the one who liked calling people cute – asked.

“Probably but I don’t wanna do it.”

“Me either.”

There was a long silence and Nathaniel waited impatiently for one of the men to do something.

“Okay, fuck it. I’m just gonna throw this towel at him. That should work, right?”

The other guy grunted and Nathaniel listened to their retreating footsteps. He sucked in a quiet breath and then—

There was a loud commotion next to him as the towel made contact with the napping guy. It sounded like he had fallen out of his chair or pushed over the IV stand or both.

“What the fuck, Nicky?” This voice was deeper, raspy like the guy smoked a lot.

Muted laughter spilled into the room; Nathaniel assumed that ‘Nicky’ was hiding safely out of reach.

“Damn I wish I had recorded that! That was even better than the videos of cats freaking out over cucumbers. Oh my God… maybe it’s on the security footage.” There was more laughing and the quiet sound of swearing.

“Are you okay though?” This was the grouchy guy, Aaron, the one who didn’t like being called cute.

“Fine.” The raspy guy answered. There was a pause and the sound of  _something_ going on; Nathaniel assumed they were taking out the tubing and bandaging the guy’s arm.

Fingernails tapped against the table, right by his ear. Nathaniel didn’t even twitch. “You’re good,” raspy guy said. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were still asleep.”

Nathaniel lay still as a rabbit hiding from a hawk. He visualized this image, blocking out other thoughts.

“Pretty sure he is asleep,” Aaron said. “Every time I came in to check on you he was just like this. Must have taken a real bad knock to the head.”

Warm breath wafted over Nathaniel’s face. He smelled cigarette smoke and it took all his self-control not to tremble.

“God, Andrew, what are you doing? Kissing him awake?” That was the third guy – Nicky – but Nathaniel couldn’t focus on him. On the other side of his eyelids some dude was breathing all over his face! What the actual fuck.

“I don’t kiss without asking,” raspy guy – Andrew – said. Nathaniel thought he could feel the words on his skin, feel the heat radiating off the guy. “Hey,” Andrew whispered, quiet so that Nathaniel was the only one to hear, “want me to kiss you?”

Nathaniel knew better and yet he couldn’t keep his reaction under control. He pushed away from the guy, nearly ending up on the floor. His good eye opened wide and he took in the three men facing him, two gaping in shock and one smiling with cool amusement.

Pain ripped through his body and Nathaniel groaned, holding his arm over his abdomen. But he didn’t take his eyes off the trio.

“Now look what you did,” Nicky cried, “you hurt our superhero.”

Andrew looked unbothered. “He was like that when I found him.”

Aaron _tsked_ softly and turned away, busying himself with the medical equipment.

Nathaniel’s mouth was extremely dry and when he tried to talk all that came out was hoarse cough. He swallowed and tried again but his neck hurt so bad he nearly cried.

“Who…” he managed to ask, dry tongue licking over parched lips.

“Here, have some water.” Nicky, the tall one with dark skin and warm eyes, said. He went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, screwed off the cap, and set it on the table next to him. Nathaniel nodded his thanks and took a sip. “To answer your question,” Nicky continued, “I’m Batman.” He pointed to Andrew, “He’s Spider-Man,” and at Aaron, “that’s Doctor Strange, of course.”

“Mixing up universes,” Aaron muttered.

Nicky shrugged. “Truth be told we’re simply concerned citizens. It’s not every day that we get to help a hero in need.”

Nathaniel flushed in shame and picked at his water bottle. “Wasn’t much of a hero today,” he admitted.

“You got that right,” Andrew said. He stood facing Nathaniel, his arms crossed over his chest. Again, Nathaniel couldn’t help but notice his arms and feel jealous. Despite his unfriendly demeanor and suspect waking-people-up moves, he looked the part of a superhero. “You need to find another line of work. I think Starbucks is still hiring.”

“How do you know I don’t work there already?” Nathaniel challenged him. It was stupid, getting riled up by this stranger, but damn he was provoking.

Andrew cocked his head and gave Nathaniel a slow, assessing look. “I would remember you.”

“Oh wow!” Nicky laughed. “Where’s my bag of popcorn?” He grabbed Aaron. “Can you believe what we are witnessing today?”

“No.” Aaron leaned against the counter and looked from Nathaniel to his twin. “Are we interrogating this kid or treating him? Someone let me know because I have more important things to do.”

“I’m fine,” Nathaniel said, trying to sit up straight. The pain sliced into him again and he whimpered.

“ _Lying!_ ” Andrew sang out. “Doc, give the patient some feel good pills. Second-hand pain makes me queasy.”

“I really don’t need them,” Nathaniel protested. “I just need a minute then I can go… where are we anyways?”

The three men shared a look.

“Actually…” Nicky started, “about that…”

“You can’t go,” Andrew said. Immediately Nathaniel felt his defenses rise and his palms start to sweat. “Not right now, at least. Isn’t that right, Doctor Strange?”

Aaron shrugged. “He’s free to leave if he wants.” He gave Nathaniel a reluctant look before adding, “I wouldn’t advise it, though.”

Nathaniel _was_ hurting and he didn’t really want to go back to the abandoned house he was squatting in; it wasn’t secure and he wasn’t in any kind of condition to defend himself if Nathan found him again.

“You’re just going to take care of me, then?” he asked. He couldn’t believe it. “I don’t have a way to pay you back… but I will!”

Aaron looked alarmed and pulled Nicky and Andrew into the hall for a whisper fight. Nathaniel strained to hear but he couldn’t make anything out other than some curses. When the men reentered the room Aaron looked satisfied and both Nicky and Andrew looked vaguely put out.

“We have a friend,” Aaron said, “who runs a nonprofit hero organization. Well, he manages the heroes and his partner does the facilitating. He never turns away strays. Once you’re back to your crime fighting ways you can do some pro bono work for them and you’re good to go.”

“You’ll still owe us, of course,” Andrew added. He grinned like he quite liked the thought of Nathaniel being in his debt. Nathaniel pretended like he wasn’t bothered by that look.

“Okay,” Nathaniel nodded hesitantly. “What’s the name of this organization?”

“I’m surprised you don’t know,” Nicky piped up. “It’s been getting a lot of press, some of it good! Does _The Foxhole Collective_  ring any bells?”

Nathaniel groaned and covered his face with his hands. _Of fucking course_. “Yep,” he muttered, “I know it.”

“Your enthusiasm is too much,” Andrew said. Nathaniel could have sworn that Andrew’s eyes were sparkling with how much he enjoyed Nathaniel’s suffering. What a sadist. And to think for a brief moment he had seemed like one of the good guys.

“Excuse me for not being _thrilled_ over joining an organization famous for taking every asshole in the city when they fall off the wagon or do something so fucked up no other hero group will touch them,” Nathaniel said bitterly.

“Wow.” Andrew laughed. He grabbed Nicky’s shoulder and shook him. “The mouth on this kid. I like him.”

“You would,” Aaron said, rolling his eyes dramatically.

“They’re not all bad,” Nicky protested. “RainbowRiot is the best and uhh… shit I always forget his super name… really hot, great smile?”

“KO,” Andrew and Aaron answered at the same time. The looked at each other and snorted.

“Don’t worry,” Nicky assured him, “you’ll fit right in.”

Nathaniel gave him a skeptical look but resigned himself to his fate. At least he’d have hot water and a bed.

“I guess.” He offered them a small smile. “Thanks for you help. This is my first time meeting a hero group.”

Nicky’s expression fell and the room became exquisitely uncomfortable. Nathaniel shifted on the table, wondering what he had said wrong this time.

“Yeah…” Andrew drawled, breaking the tense silence, “we’re not the good guys.”

Nathaniel blinked at them, his head swimming a little. “Then you’re—??”

“Starts with a V, ends with a –illians,” Andrew grinned. “Still wanna be our friends?”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr @dkafterdark


End file.
